Someone Like You
by kelly4
Summary: Paul's plan to take down Craig hits a snag, and ex-wife Emily may end up being the key to his success.
1. Chapter 1

**Late October 2007**

**The Lakeview**

Someone.

He needed someone.

Someone to be on the inside. To get him information.

Paul Ryan sighs, frustrated, as he lifts his newly filled scotch glass to his lips. His plan to take down Craig Montgomery had hit a crucial snag, and he was desperately trying to think of a way around it. But the only one he could come up with was one he was having a hard time figuring out how to use.

He'd been more than a little shocked, when he returned to Oakdale, to find newlyweds Craig and Meg running Montgomery Enterprises. He and Rosanna had tried to find legal loopholes in how Craig acquired the company with her money, but to no avail. Rosanna was still meeting with her attorneys to see what other legal avenue they could pursue, but Paul had a feeling that Craig, as slippery as he is, had made sure his hold on Montgomery Enterprises was airtight.

It had been tickling at his brain for a while now, the thought that they'd have to go a different route. He wanted Craig out of that company. Because Craig Montgomery was a dangerous man on his own, but a Craig Montgomery with power was potentially disastrous for everyone he touches. Meg was still too blind to see it, but Paul had sworn to himself upon his return that he wouldn't let that stop him. If Meg got caught in the crossfire? Well, it wasn't like she hadn't been warned. Repeatedly.

He knew Craig more than likely had some shady activities going on behind the closed doors of ME. It _is_ Craig after all.

The question now? How to get the information on them. And use them to his advantage.

Which lead him here, with his glass of scotch.

He needed someone.

Someone who could get in there, who could be sneaky and get information yet put up the cover of being a legitimate employee. Someone he could trust, at least as far as Craig was concerned.

But who?

He'd seen the employee roster of ME and no names jumped out at him – and frankly he wasn't too keen on the idea of just paying someone off to do this, because if they could be paid off, could he be sure that person wouldn't turn to the other side for more money? It couldn't be him, and Rosanna was most certainly out of the question, for reasons that he wouldn't even disclose to her, but most obviously because of her own corporation that she was running after two years in a coma.

Of course, if he was going to use an outsider to the company, the question then became how to get them in. He had some information on the different divisions of ME, and what was doing well and what was doing…not so well, but he had to admit to himself there was no guarantee that Craig and Meg would hire whoever he sent in.

Not that this was his only iron in the fire as far as Craig was concerned. He had a detective looking for Lucy and Johnny, in hopes that maybe having those two around again would cause Craig to let his guard down. Not to mention, potentially fighting Dusty for Johnny would distract Craig, possibly giving Paul a bigger opening to exact revenge, and in doing so, would also knock out Craig's chances of having his son. While he did feel a twinge of guilt, using his sister's son in all of this, he promised himself he would make sure that Johnny ended up with Dusty when all was said and done. As much as he himself was not Dusty's biggest fan, he knew that's what Jennifer would have wanted.

But the truth was, that iron was cool at best at the moment. Paul had a sneaking suspicion that Sierra had used her connections to hide Lucy and Johnny well, because his detective had come up with nothing in the month he had been searching for them.

Which led him once again back to this. He needed someone.

Someone on the inside he could trust.

Someone smart enough to play Craig.

Someone sneaky enough to get the information he needed.

"Vodka tonic, please."

The voice he hears causes his head to turn quickly towards the bar. Oh, he'd know that voice anywhere. A grin spreads slowly across his face as he watches her sit down and take a sip of her drink.

"Someone like you."


	2. Chapter 2

"Well, well, well. Look who's back."

A small smile graces Emily's face as she turns towards him, leaning against the bar.

"Well, well, well. Look who's alive."

"You heard about that, huh?"

"Yeah, my mother told me. Of course, a week or so later she told me you were alive. Which, shouldn't have surprised me at this point. You're unlike your father in so many ways, but you did seem to inherit the Stenbeck resurrection gene."

"That may be the one thing I don't mind getting from him."

She laughs softly, her eyes meeting his. "I'm glad you're okay," she says, the sincerity in her voice touching Paul.

"Thanks," he replies, as he moves to sit in the chair next to her. Following his lead, she sits as well, taking a sip of her drink. "When'd you get back?"

"This morning."

"And already at the bar huh? Not a good sign."

"Well, it was either this," she says, motioning to her drink, "or answer my mother's incessant questions about what I'm going to do with my life now that I'm back. I mean, can a girl unpack first?"

"Yeah, that sounds like Susan," he says, a hint of amusement in his voice. "So, you got to spend the summer with Daniel huh?"

She shakes her head, a dry chuckle escaping her lips as she turns to face him.

"What do you want, Paul?"

He does a quick take at that, then quickly adopts his most charming smile.

"What do you mean?"

"Just because I've been away for a few months doesn't mean I've lost my ability to read you like a book. You want something. So, why don't we just dispense with all the small talk and you can tell me what you want from me."

He's about to protest, but then stops, seeing that knowing grin, the one she always got when she was onto him. He takes a swig of scotch and leans in closer to her.

"You wanna get outta here?"

"And why on earth would I wanna do that?" she responds coyly.

"It would be worth your while."

"Somehow, I have my doubts about that."

"Come on….I…I need to talk to you."

Paul notices immediately the flirtatious glint disappear from her eyes, and instead, a look of concern takes its place.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah…yeah, I'm fine," he responds, feeling oddly comforted by the fact that she still cares about him the way she does, after all they'd been through together.

"Okay," she nods slowly, "so, why can't we talk here?"

"It's a conversation better had in private."

She looks at him, obviously trying to figure out what he's up to. Then she takes a quick look around the almost empty Lakeview lounge.

"We're pretty much alone right now," she shrugs.

"Come on, Em," he says, "I'm just asking for a few minutes, that's it. Up in my suite."

She looks at him, clearly weighing her options. "Yeah…I'm gonna need more than that."

"Alright…I have a proposition for you."

"A proposition?"

"Yeah…and it's a good one."

"Really?" she responds, her interest piqued despite herself. "What kind of proposition?"

"Let's just say….it would be mutually beneficial."

"Hmmm…" she says, sizing him up. "I'll be the judge of that."

To Be Continued


	3. Chapter 3

Paul unlocks the door to his suite and motions for Emily to go inside. Without a word, he walks over to the makeshift bar he'd set up and makes her another vodka tonic with two twists – one lemon and one lime. Just like she liked it. He hands it to her, and then pours himself another glass of scotch.

"So, Dusty told me you sold him your shares of The Intruder. Gotta admit, I was surprised. You love that paper."

"It wasn't an easy decision."

"Why'd you do it?"

She shrugs. "He and Ali pretty much have a handle on things and it's running smoothly. Plus, you know Dusty, he's a control freak. I'm used to running that paper and as egotistical as Dusty is, he isn't gonna go for that. I thought it was just better to cut my losses."

"Uh-huh. What's the real reason?"

"What do you mean?"

"Come on Em. Remember what you said before about reading me a like a book? It goes both ways."

She walks over to the window and leans against it, looking out at the late afternoon sky.

"Daniel."

"How do you mean?"

"Paul, come on. He's gonna be finding out a lot of things in the next couple of years about me."

"What does that have to do with The Intruder?"

"Look, I love The Intruder, but…it's a gossip rag. Not exactly respectable journalism. And I guess I thought maybe I should think about trying my hand at something a little more mainstream…for his sake. He's gonna have enough to deal with, what with my stellar reputation and all," she finishes dryly.

"You're a good mom."

She turns to look at him, and their eyes connect for a moment, the unspoken memory of the daughter they lost between them, causing the self deprecating response she had on the tip of her tongue to fall away. Instead, seeing the sincerity in his eyes, she simply nods slightly.

"Thank you."

"So…you're gonna try and get a job at a respectable paper?"

"Maybe, though I think my options in Oakdale are rather limited. I'm not sure The City Times would be itching to have me on, what with Craig running the company. Speaking of the devil himself, I heard about Meg marrying Craig. What is it with your women marrying Craig Montgomery?"

"You didn't marry him."

"I have some taste."

Paul smiles at her flip remark, and sits down taking a gulp of his scotch.

"Since you brought up Craig…."

Emily walks over and sits down across the small table from him.

"If this proposition has anything to do with him, I'll tell you right now, the answer is no."

"Hear me out."

"Why, so I can help you save poor, innocent Meg from big, bad Craig? Forget it. I've got better things to do. Besides, don't you have Rosanna for that?" she pauses, as Paul looks momentarily taken aback, causing Emily to smile. "Yeah, I heard she was back. Isn't she helping you?"

"She is."

"So you don't need me."

"This isn't about Meg."

Emily looks skeptical. "Right."

"It isn't. She chose to be where she is."

"Where she is, is CEO of Montgomery Enterprises. Which is baffling in and of itself. I didn't know being a lousy nurse and an even lousier waitress qualified one to be CEO of a major corporation."

"She's a figurehead," Paul shrugs nonchalantly. "Craig needs her, or more specifically, her good Snyder name in order for anyone to do business with him."

Emily looks at him, her turn to be taken a bit off guard. Paul notices the strange way she's looking at him.

"What?"

"You weren't lying."

"Of course I wasn't," he pauses, then grins. "What wasn't I lying about?"

She shakes her head, smiling despite herself. "About Meg. This isn't about her."

"That's what I said. What made you change your mind?"

"I trashed her and you didn't jump to her defense. You didn't even looked like you wanted to."

"Like I said, she chose to be where she is. She had more than enough opportunities to get away from Craig and she chose to stay with him and help him run that company. It's on her, now."

"And if she gets caught in the crossfire?"

"Then she gets caught in the crossfire. Craig is a bastard, and now he's got the money and power being the owner of a major corporation brings. I want him out of that company and, preferably, back in jail where he belongs. I'll settle for out of the company right now, though."

Emily grins, nodding approvingly. "Okay, but that still doesn't explain why you need me. You've got Rosanna, who I'm sure wants Craig taken down for running her off the road."

Paul looks at her, then down at his drink. Emily notices the avoidance tactic but decides not to press.

"She's doing a few things, talking to her attorneys, seeing what legal loopholes we can jump through to get him out of the company," he explains, still intently watching the scotch swirl around in his glass."

"Sounds like a good plan."

"There may not be any."

"So that's where I come in?"

"That's where you come in."

Emily sighs softly, sipping her drink and leaning back in her chair.

"Paul…I just…I don't wanna put myself in his line of fire again. The last time I did, he sold his shares of The Intruder to some thug who kidnapped my son because I wouldn't sell him my shares."

"You think Craig knew that was gonna happen?"

"I don't care if he did or didn't, the point is, he sold his shares to a guy who he knew played dirty."

"Look, he's dangerous Em, I know that. And I can respect the fact that you don't wanna get involved with him again…"

"Good."

"But…he's more dangerous now than he's ever been. I can only imagine what he's really got going on behind closed doors at Montgomery Enterprises. He needs to be stopped, and I have more than enough reasons to wanna be the one to do it. And…you may have just as many reasons to want your own revenge on Craig, Daniel included."

"Oh that's good, appeal to my vengeful side," she says dryly. "Okay…look. I'm not saying I'm gonna do whatever it is you want me to do. But…I'll listen to whatever scheme it is you've cooked up. Deal?"

"I'll take it…for now."

"So? Spill."

Paul leans back in his chair, a devilish smile on his face.

"I want you to work at Montgomery Enterprises."


	4. Chapter 4

Emily stares at him, a bewildered look on her face.

"You wanna say that again?"

"I want you to work for Montgomery Enterprises."

For a moment, Emily is speechless, falling back against her chair. She looks at him, disbelievingly, while motioning to the glass of scotch sitting in front of him.

"How many of those have you had today?"

"I'm serious."

"You can't possibly be."

"I am."

"Okay, well putting aside for a moment that I've had more than enough of working for Craig in this lifetime, you're forgetting one important fact."

"And that is?"

"Craig hates me. Meg doesn't like me much either. And believe me, the feeling is mutual on both counts. There's no way either one of them would hire me."

"I'm not so sure about that," he responds, and seeing Emily's disbelieving look, pushes ahead. "I've got some information about the different divisions of Montgomery Enterprises. You know, what's working…and what isn't."

"And?"

"The City Times is struggling. Big time."

"Be that as it may Paul, Craig would never hire me. Not in a million years."

"Craig hates you, yeah, I know that. But Em…when it comes to business, Craig isn't stupid. The City Times can be a big winner for Montgomery Enterprises and he knows that. He just needs the right person running it. That's you. Forget how he feels about you, he knows you're damn good at what you do."

"Paul…it's not just that he doesn't like me, he doesn't trust me. He's not going to just let me run such an important division of his company."

"Craig is greedy. And he wants to be successful. I'm willing to bet he'd put aside all of his personal feelings towards you to make money."

"I'm not sure I buy that argument but…for the moment, let's say he does hire me. You want me to tank the paper as revenge?"

"No, I want you to turn it around."

"You do? How is that revenge?"

"I want the company successful," he says simply.

Emily eyes him, a small smile coming to her face. "You have no intention of giving that company back to Lucinda do you?"

"You always did know me too well."

"So…you don't want me to tank the paper. What do you want me to do?"

"I need information."

"And…you think I can get it?"

"I know you can. You know how Craig operates, and you definitely have the motivation. If anyone can find out his dirty little secrets, it's you."

"You're assuming, once again, that he'll actually hire me. Beyond that, you're assuming that I'll have access to what you need to know."

"Emily, you're a resourceful woman. I have faith in you," he responds, a flirtatious hint to his voice.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Paul," she responds, leaning across the table, smiling.

"It could be fun. Besides, I know you wanna see Craig taken down a notch just as badly as I do. And look," he pauses, reaching across the table and putting his hand over hers, "I know you're wary of Craig, and I don't blame you. But I promise, I won't let anything happen to you or Daniel."

She looks down at their hands, savoring his touch for just a moment before pulling her hand back. "Craig's gonna be suspicious."

"Why?"

"I imagine he knows you're out to get him, or at least suspects it."

"Probably."

"And I come in looking for a job?"

Paul shrugs. "Tell him you want revenge against me. That'll sell him."

"He'll never believe it."

"Of course he will, he wants to believe he can screw me over. You know me better than anyone, he'll see you as an asset. Another one of my exes in his clutches, especially you, with how well you know me? He'll be gloating in no time."

"Paul, even when I was working for him last year, reluctantly I might add, he was well aware of the fact that I didn't want you hurt, it wasn't about revenge. He'll never buy that I wanna get back at you."

"You can sell it, Em."

Emily sighs, taking a sip of her drink. "This is really important to you, huh?"

"Yeah, it is."

"I'll think about it, okay? That's all I'm promising right now."

"Can you think quickly?"

"Pressuring me isn't going to get you what you want."

Paul grins in response. "Look, I meant what I said. I understand your reservations…but I promise, I will not let Craig hurt you. Or Daniel."

Emily nods, then gets up, picking up her purse.

"I'll be in touch."


End file.
